Commentary

While 2003 was the most productive year in the history of mortgage lending volume, 2004 may be an even better year for credit unions to grow their mortgage business. There are many elements that are aligning to make this an ideal environment for credit unions to take either a bigger...

When selecting and implementing new technology, security is rarely a top priority. It should be. Most IT specialists value stability and functionality above all else in new products because they base their decisions on business needs. The reality, however, is that compromised security is ultimately a business issue, and you...

Eenie Meenie Minie Moe, the site we pick, better grow. Ok, so the rhyme isn't perfect, but the location of your next branch facility better be. Ever wonder if the site you want to buy, or worse yet, just bought, will produce the expected growth projections? Will the site support...

There are two kinds of people in this world. No, not regulators and the rest of us. But those who pay close attention to the recent discourse regarding risk-based capital and actually know what it means; and everybody else. The talk also frequently includes references to the Basel II accords....

Over the past three years, nearly 500 community charters have been granted by NCUA and their state regulatory counterparts. One of the premises behind a community charter is that the credit union will serve the entire community. A portion of the conversion application describes the ways the credit union will...

The credit union industry is experiencing a wave of newly created corporate credit union-owned Credit Union Service Organizations (CUSOs). Recently, the corporate credit union network has demonstrated a significant desire to partner with one another to create these CUSOs. As President/CEO of CU Business Group, LLC, a CUSO equally owned...

The passage of Section 352 of the USA PATRIOT Act in response to the events of September 11, 2001, has motivated some credit unions to take a closer look at the effectiveness of their anti-money laundering processes. The PATRIOT Act does not require the use of software to monitor for...

Well, I was in hiding but Paul Gentile, Editor of Credit Union Times, found me out. Paul asked, "What are you going to do about the debate?" I told Paul that suicide seemed to be the only honorable option left at this point. Paul, of course, said: "I thought you'd...